For treatment, sheet metal panels are firstly cut to size, then shaped by bending, pressing, or the like to the form desired, and connected to other compounds. The cut edges generally lie at inaccessible places and are protected with difficulty from corrosion. When treating sheet metal panels previously coated with lacquer, synthetic substances or synthetic foils or other rust protective materials, unprotected cut edges are formed when cutting these panels to shape. When using such sheet metal panels in the construction of car bodies, boats, wagons, facades of buildings, wall units, kitchen or bathroom furniture this lack of protection gives rise to corrosion. It is known, though, to electroplate individual places of work pieces means of manually operated tools, wherein an electrolyte is applied to these places by means of sponges or pieces of felt. This method is, however, uneconomic for the electroplating of the cut edges of sheet metal panels.
The present invention has the object of providing an economic method for the electroplating of the cut edges of sheet metal panels, which is suitable for mass production.